Just Another Day
by Pink Panther Wannabe
Summary: Tenth part! Vital change in relationships... R/J and L/L story
1. A normal morning?

Spoilers: Eventually... Not yet.  
Pairing(s): Eventually R/J and maybe a little L/L... Read below to understand my madness.  
Belongs... not to me. Just a humble fan writing a little extension to the genius of Amy Sherman-Palladino and friends... Don't sue me! Please!  
A/N: Hi. Name's Emily. This is my first GG fanfic and I'm kind of really nervous about it. Right now it's not a whole lot, but it will be someday! ( I hope) Anyway, I want to have a R/J pairing and also some L/L, but right now I really don't know how I'm going to get there yet. I have a couple of ideas, but it's going to take a little while to get there. Anywho, I'll stop blabbering now and just anyone and everyone to please R&R... All criticism is welcome! izzyandfelix@hotmail.com  
  
Gilmore Girls Fanfic  
"Just Another Day"  
  
Part 1: A normal morning?  
  
Rory Gilmore slowly opened her eyes to look out the window. She could see the wind playing softly with the leaves and the sun shining down on the lawn and making the dew on the grass sparkle. She sighed contentedly and moved slightly to make herself more comfortable.  
  
However, with the movement the silent spell was cut short. Rory had moved just enough to see the vivid red of the digital alarm clock across the room. 7:15.  
  
Rory sat bolt upright in her bed for a moment. Staring horrified at the time, she pushed the covers aside, stumbled out of bed and stared running around the room frantically.  
  
"Skirt, where's my stupid skirt? MOM!" she hollered out the door and she jumped up and down, pulling on her socks. "We've slept in again! Mom! Ouch!" Rory had just tripped and fallen over her book bag. She picked herself and the bag off the floor and ran into the kitchen and pressed the ON button on the coffee machine. She reached into cupboard and pulled out two random mugs. One had "The Misfits" printed on it with a picture of the cartoon band above it and the other had yellow hand printed on it. Rory stuck the "Misfits" under the coffee drip and ran back into her room. She started to stuffing all of her things into her book bag, wondering why she hadn't done this the night before. She made her way to her mirror and in the reflection she could see her pallid face and messy hair, but also the amused face of Lorelai leaning against the doorframe behind her, "Misfits" mug in hand. She was still her PJ's, an oversized Harvard sweatshirt and boxers, and Rory could tell her mother was trying very hard not to laugh at something.  
  
"What's so funny? Rory asked as she turned away from the mirror and back to her bag. "I'm incredibly late and so are you, but you're just standing there, drinking your coffee and laughing at me while I run around like a chicken with it's head cut off. Can I borrow the car? If I don't, I'll never make it." Rory was now facing her mother and Lorelai had a grin on her face that really seemed to stretch from ear to ear. Rory glared at her. How could she be so calm?  
  
"Of course you can borrow the jeep. I'm not late for anything. I've got nothing on at all for the entire day, actually." The grin somehow got wider. "I don't really understand your rush though."  
  
Rory stared at her mother blankly.  
  
"Are you crazy? It's Monday morning at 7:27," Rory glanced back at the clock "I have to be in Hartford in 33 minutes for school. You know, Chilton, the place where they drill way too much into our heads way too little time and the only way I'll ever get into Harvard. Do you remember any of this information or did some magical memory-loss fairy come visit you last night?"  
  
"Monday, huh? Well, in that case, you don't have a whole lot of time. You better boogie out that door. C'mon! You haven't got all day or anything. Damn, Rory, move that little ass of yours! I'll go grab those keys for you." Lorelai disappeared from the door and Rory could hear her chuckling in the hallway.  
  
Rory, shoes in one hand, coffee in the other, bag balanced carefully on her shoulder, followed a minute later. Lorelai stuck the keys into her mouth before she could say anything. Rory quickly nodded thanks and Lorelai opened the door for her.  
  
Rory ran across the lawn as fast as she could and when she got to the jeep she put the shoes and coffee on top of the car and struggled with the lock.  
  
"Turn it right, Rory! Right!" called Lorelai from the porch.  
  
"Yeah, I got it."  
  
After throwing shoes and bag into the jeep, grabbing the coffee and rolling down the window for air, Rory managed to start the jeep. Just as she was backing out, she could hear her mother calling to her. She hit the brakes and stuck her head out of the window.  
  
"What?"  
  
"I was just saying, careful on those roads. Sunday rivers are a dangerous thing." The grin was still plastered on her face.  
  
"Ok mom. Thanks." Rory started backing out again. The brakes were hit suddenly and the screech echoed through the morning air. Rory's head popped out of the window again.  
  
"Sunday drivers? What do you mean 'Sunday drivers'?" Rory called back. No answer was necessary however because Rory's head disappeared and suddenly the annoying sound of the car horn being pressed continuously was heard from the jeep.   
  
After a couple minutes, Lorelai sat down on the top step of the stairs and she could see Babette's head stick out of her door.  
  
"Lorelai, sweetie, please tell Rory to lay off the horn. It's only 7:35 in the morning. Besides, sugar, it's Sunday. It's the only day of the week Morey and I sleep late."  
  
"Will do," replied Lorelai with a wave.  
  
"Thanks sugar." The door closed and with it, the car horn stopped.  
  
Lorelai took another sip of coffee and then a deep breath of the cool air.  
  
"Just another normal morning in Stars Hollow," she murmured. 


	2. The First Twenty Minutes of Jess' Mornin...

Spoilers: Eventually... Not yet.  
Pairing(s): Eventually R/J and maybe a little L/L...   
Belongs... not to me. Just a humble fan writing a little extension to the genius of Amy Sherman-Palladino and friends... Don't sue me! Please!  
A/N: Anyway, this is part two, and I like it. My friend Kal (who is as die-hard as I am) read it in Chemistry class today and had a good chuckle, so here's hoping to another successful chapter!  
Also, thank you for the ideas and reviews. Please continue to do so! Thanks so much!  
  
  
  
Just Another Day- Part 2  
  
The First Hour of Jess' Morning- Sunday  
  
The annoying beep of the alarm drilled it's way into Jess' head, through his sub-conscience and his pillow. He groaned and lifted the pillow an inch to glare at the clock. Seven-thirty, the blaring red numbers screamed at him. He dragged his arm from the covers and hit the snooze button. All was silent. Jess yanked the covers tightly around him and hid under the pillow again.  
  
Nine more minutes, he thought to himself. That's all I need. Nine more, yawn, minutes. He was dozing in a second.  
  
Suddenly, the peaceful non-beeping silence was broken by the thud of heavy boots on the wooden floor. The darkness was taken away with the lifting of the pillow and the warmth was pulled away as the covers were ripped from Jess' grip. He opened one eye and Luke's face was only inches away from his own.  
  
"Ahh!" Jess moved backward and ended up throwing himself accidentally off the bed. Rubbing his arm, Jess got up from the floor and glared at Luke. Luke had a satisfied smile on his face.  
  
"Time to get up Jess. Did you have a good sleep?" Luke asked, the smirk broader.  
  
"Oh yeah. Great until I fell off the bed. Oh wait! That was the best part." Jess muttered before dragging himself off to the bathroom and shutting the door firmly behind him. Luke chuckled and threw everything back on the bed.  
  
"Be downstairs in five minutes. We have customers to feed." Luke walked over to the door and shut it behind him.  
  
Jess carefully opened the bathroom door and peeped his head out. The coast was clear. He opened the door another couple of inches and a loud squeak was issued from the door. The apartment door sung back open.  
  
"And no Metallica, Tool, Ozzy Osbourne, Motley Crue, The Cult or Alice Cooper T-shirts, understand?"  
  
"You got it, Luke," Jess replied with a thumbs up sign. "Can you go now so I can dress in private, or are you really that worried that my clothing is going to be so unacceptable that watching is necessary? Or do you ride the pink boat, because that's ok with me except for the whole staring at me factor-"  
  
"Three minutes," was all Luke said before he closed the door and Jess could hear the stomping going down the stairs.  
  
"Some people can be so touchy," Jess declared to the empty room. He slowly wandered over to the dresser and pulled out the brown pants he had been wearing during the picnic with Rory. He reached into the left pocket and pulled out her bracelet. Staring at it and rubbing the medallion, he thought about the phone call he had received from Rory two nights before. It had been nice. He liked talking with her. Being with her.  
  
He pulled along the bracelet until he got to the place where the leather had worn down and broken with time.  
  
Suddenly, he smiled. He quickly grabbed another pair of pants and a green T-shirt and pulled them on. Taking a quick glimpse in the mirror, he gave his reflection a brief smile. He took one last look at the bracelet, tossed it in the air, caught it easily and stuck it into his pocket again. Attitude and confidence leaking from every pore, he left the apartment and sauntered down the stairs.  
  
Once he had grabbed an apron and a pad of paper and a pen, Jess started taking orders from an elderly lady at a table by herself. He talked with her for a few minutes and walked back to the counter and noticed Luke glaring at him.  
  
"What the hell was that?"  
  
"Well, good morning to you too, Luke. Beautiful morning, isn't it?"  
  
"Are you sick?"  
  
"Nope."  
  
"Are you sure?"  
  
"Yup."  
  
"You were normal five minutes ago."  
  
"I'm normal now."  
  
" 'Good morning?'"  
  
"Okay. Slightly nausea."  
  
"Good."  
  
"Good?"  
  
"Well, you wouldn't want me poking and prodding you to find out what's wrong, would you?"  
  
"Luke. The pink boat. I wish you'd just tell me straight out."  
  
"You're leaving now." Luke started to walk away.  
  
"You don't have to be shy."  
  
"Go back upstairs."  
  
"It's perfectly normal for some people."  
  
"You know what, don't even bother going upstairs."  
  
"Wow! I didn't think you were that far into the closet."  
  
"You see that door over there? I want you to go through it and I don't want to see you back here for three hours."  
  
"Is it really dark in there? It must be," Jess replied, untying his apron and hooking it back in it's place.  
  
"Out. Out," Luke barked as Jess crossed the diner to leave.  
  
"Doesn't it get musty in there?" Jess had his hand on the door.  
  
"Three hours... at the least!" Luke yelled at Jess before the door closed completely. 


	3. Ketchup, Syrup, Ketchup

Just Another Day  
Part 3- Ketchup, Syrup, Ketchup  
  
  
Spoilers: Not really  
Pairing(s): Eventually R/J and maybe a little L/L.  
Belongs... not to me. Just a humble fan writing a little extension to the genius of Amy Sherman-Palladino and friends... Don't sue me! Please!  
A/N: Hi. Name's Emily. Thanks for all the reviews so far. This is part 3 and I'm sorry for not writing this chapter up sooner, but we went on a little bit of a family trip, so I was neglecting my GG fanfic. This chapter is a bit longer than the other ones, and I can't say that I think it's the best one, but that's the way it goes! Hope you guys like it and please don't forget to R&R! All criticism is welcome! izzyandfelix@hotmail.com  
  
  
  
The door closed behind Jess and Luke took a deep breath of relief.  
  
Thank God he's gone, Luke thought. Another thirty seconds of that twerp and he would have been thrown through the window.  
  
"Luke!" called Kirk from across the diner. Luke rolled his eyes and had an overwhelming sense that the morning was going to get worse before it got better.  
  
"Yes Kirk."  
  
"I would like some ketchup please."  
  
"Ketchup?"  
  
"Ketchup. In a bottle. Usually the color red. Although, they have had that green and purple ketchup for a couple of-"  
  
"I know what ketchup is Kirk. There's just one thing I don't understand."  
  
"What would that be, Luke?"  
  
Luke shrugged.  
  
"I don't know, the fact that you have enough sugar there to cause twelve people's teeth to fall out might make me wonder why you want ketchup with your-" Luke looked at the table and swallowed painfully. "-Ahem, meal."  
  
If anyone had looked at Kirk's table, they would have been as disgusted as Luke was. There was chocolate chip pancakes, bacon and eggs drenched in syrup and icing sugar. He also had a large cup of hot chocolate with whipped cream, more icing sugar and a maraschino cherry piled on top. There were numerous empty sugar packets that littered the table and there was a small pile of mints. In Kirk's hand was what had been a new bottle of Aunt Jemima that morning, but was now nothing more than a couple of drops of liquefied sugar. Kirk had been the only one to use the bottle that morning.  
  
Kirk just stared blankly at Luke for a moment and finally answered blandly, "I like some savory with my sweet."  
  
"Ok, one bottle of ketchup coming up. And Kirk," Luke paused for a second to scribble something down onto his order book. He ripped it off and gave it to Kirk. "Here."  
  
"'Dr. Emmett Green.' Who's that?"  
  
"My dentist. And that's his phone number. I have a feeling that you might need it in the near future." Luke walked away.  
  
Luke bent down behind the counter where the ketchup bottles were and started rummaging for a full bottle. He didn't hear the bell ring when the door opened or the call of Lorelai's first demands for coffee. He didn't see the head above him or the shadow it cast on him. But he could smell the faint scent of lily-of-the-valley and hairspray that always accompanied Lorelai whenever she entered the room. He looked up and saw her face smiling above his own.  
  
"Hi Luke!"  
  
"Lorelai. Why are leaning over the counter?" Luke grabbed the closest bottle and stood up.  
  
"Good morning to you too, Sunshine!"  
  
"You're abnormally happy for a Sunday morning at 8:00 considering you probably have only had six cups of coffee so far."  
  
"Actually, I've only had two cups." Luke stopped wiping the counter and the three other people that were also sitting at the counter stopped eating and turned to stare at Lorelai in disbelief.  
  
Lorelai paused and looked at the other customers.  
  
"Hey. Private coffee conversation happening here." They returned to their meals. "Sorry. I didn't mean to cause a show stopping moment. Although that look of absolute astonishment was pretty good. Jaw on the ground, stop in all activity. Very good, actually."  
  
"Will you stop babbling and just tell me why you're this cheerful and awake with only two cups of coffee in your system?"  
  
"Because behind all that brown hair that Rory has, there's really a secret, wannabe blonde complex," she whispered.  
  
"What?"  
  
Lorelai explained the events of earlier in the morning and after such amusing circumstances, there was no way she was going to get back to sleep. Unfortunately, Rory hadn't been too happy and had stomped off to her room after stealing the coffee from Lorelai.  
  
"I hadn't seen that 'Misfits' mug in months, and when I finally had it, it was stolen, literally, from my grasp. That's been the only downside of the last hour."  
  
Luke chuckled in spite of himself. Seeing usually calm, cool and collected Rory tear around the Gilmore house must have been a sight. Too bad he had missed it.  
  
"Ah ha!" Lorelai exclaimed and pointed at Luke.  
  
"What now?"  
  
"You chuckled. There was amusement. I have conquered the impossible Lucas Danes! I made him laugh!" Lorelai stood and put her arms into the air; victory sign made with her fingers. This time the entire diner was staring.  
  
"It's nothing, people," said Luke. "It's the lack of caffeine. She'll be fine." He reached across the counter and pushed hard on Lorelai's shoulder so that she plumped unwillingly onto her stool.  
  
"I was enjoying that moment," pouted Lorelai, forehead furrowed.  
  
"I could tell. That's why I took it away." Luke smiled briefly and turned.  
  
"I still win," she mumbled to herself.  
  
"What was that?" Luke turned back around, large coffee in hand.  
  
"Never mind. Gimme the cup of Joe." Lorelai reached for it.  
  
"No way. What did you win?"  
  
Lorelai picked up a menu and frantically hid herself behind it. "Nothing," she squeaked.   
  
Luke yanked the menu away and Lorelai yelped.  
  
'Approximately twenty-seven days ago, Rory bet that Lorelai couldn't make you laugh five times in the next month." It was Kirk. "Lorelai told Rory that she was on and then-" he paused. "Never mind." Kirk turned back to his sticky table.  
  
"Kirk! What happened next?"  
  
"Ketchup, please."  
  
"No ketchup until you tell me." Luke held the ketchup-and coffee-further back.  
  
"I was going to tell how much money was involved."  
  
"How much was it, Kirk?"  
  
"A paltry amount. Ketchup."  
  
"Money."  
  
"Ketchup."  
  
"Money."  
  
"Ketch-"  
  
"Stop it, both of you!" burst in Lorelai. She grabbed the ketchup from Luke and handed it to Kirk. She whispered into his ear and when he was about to protest, she whispered again.  
  
"Fine," he grumbled. "Their bet was ten dollars. I told you it was worth almost nothing."  
  
"You bet only ten bucks that you could make me laugh five times? That really is sad. I'm offended." Luke stepped away from the counter slowly.  
  
"Yeah, yeah, it is. We're bad, mean and unhealthy. Blah, blah. Could I have the coffee now?"  
  
"Nope." Luke stepped back again.  
  
"Why not?"  
  
"You're lying." Another step.  
  
"No I'm not." A look of almost panic flickered across her face when Luke took another step back. And another. And another. He could see her break.  
  
"Fine. I'm lying. Wow. I'm having an idea of what Bill Clinton must have been feeling."  
  
"And the lie was--?"  
  
"We didn't bet ten dollars."  
  
"What did you actually bet then?"  
  
"You know what, you ask way too many questions."  
  
"So I've been told. How much Lorelai?"  
  
"WeonlybettencentsbecausethatsallIhadinmypocketatthetime."  
  
"What was that?"  
  
"Uh-"  
  
"She and Rory only bet ten cents because that's all they could scrounge up between them." Kirk stood up and walked over to the counter, grabbed the coffee from Luke and handed the coffee to Lorelai. "Now will you two please be quiet. I'm trying to eat my breakfast in peace." Kirk returned to his table.  
  
"Ok Kirk. We'll let you and the teeth falling out of your head eat in silence."  
  
"Thank you."  
  
"What exactly is Kirk eating anyway?" asked Lorelai, satisfied with the current cup of coffee sitting in front of her but had no scruples in disturbing Kirk again.  
  
"Will you believe me when I say that you really don't want to know?"  
  
"No. Of course not."  
  
Luke sighed.  
  
"Why am I not surprised?" 


	4. Too much thinking

Just Another Day  
Part 4: Thinking  
  
  
Spoilers: If you haven't seen "A Tisket, A Tasket" and are a spoiler virgin, don't read this chapter yet. The spoiler-free god's might just kick you out of the spoiler-free heavens...  
Pairing(s): I am very slowly creeping towards the R/J stuff... L/L will come in another part.  
Belongs... not to me. Just a humble fan writing a little extension to the genius of Amy Sherman-Palladino and friends... Don't sue me! Please!  
A/N: Ok, I am very sorry for taking so long to get this part up. To make a long story short, school sucks. This is a little more of Jess' POV and I don't know if it's as character-accurate as the first three parts. I think I'm just paranoid about a thread in the GG message board at Forums4fans. Anywho, I'll stop blabbering now and just anyone and everyone, please R&R... All criticism is welcome! izzyandfelix@hotmail.com  
  
  
  
Jess left the confines of the diner and realized only too late that he was still in Stars Hollow and had absolutely nothing to do for the next three hours.  
  
He stood in front of the diner for a couple of minutes and stared at his shoes absently, thinking of something to do. He could head to the library to find something to read. No, it wouldn't be open before eight any morning, let alone a Sunday. He could try to get in and out of Doose's market without Taylor catching him. No, that would probably only end up in another argument between Luke and Taylor. It wouldn't be worth it. He could take a walk to Patty's and see what new depressing things she was saying to the little girls today. But no, he couldn't risk being winked at and eyed by Patty this early in the morning. He shuddered instinctively and stuck his hands into his pockets. There, his hand hit the bracelet and he found where he could easily spend three hours in.  
  
He turned left and kept walking down the street until he hit the path he had walked down with Rory just a week before. He could hear her voice just behind him, asking question after annoying question about where they were going and what they were doing. And yet, it hadn't been annoying at the same time. He had liked hearing her sweet voice asking questions and the sweet silence in between. He liked knowing she was right behind him, following him wherever he would go. He had liked the light tread of her feet behind his. He had liked knowing that because they were so close, he could reach out and touch her- her face or her hair or her hands. He had liked knowing that no one could stop him but Rory, and even if she was surprised, he didn't think she would pull away.   
  
That was the nicest part of all. They were alone. There was no Luke or Lorelai or Dean or any other person in the town to try to get in the way. Just the two of them. To talk, or not to. To debate, or not to. To do nothing or say nothing at all. An entire afternoon of her all to himself. It had been one of the best afternoons of his entire existence.  
  
Not bad for ninety bucks, he thought to himself. Oh, and the pizza. That picnic was so awful. He chuckled and smiled one of his rare sincere smiles.  
  
By this time he had reached the bridge and sat down where he had with Rory.  
  
He had taken the bracelet from his pocket again and started thinking of what it meant. He wanted to know where it had come from. It must have been worn a good deal to have the leather wear away. At least a year straight...  
  
How long had Rory and Dean been going out? It had to be a while if Dean was getting that possessive. Only boyfriends that had been dating their girlfriend for over six months would get that upset if another guy was even looking at his girlfriend. Or at least, that was how he had always seen things work.  
  
Or maybe Dean had lost Rory before. He had never asked. He hadn't wanted any of the details of the relationship he didn't like. However, he knew that if he had ever lost Rory, he'd probably be pretty crazy at the thought of losing her a second time. But he didn't know if the jealous idiot routine was really his style. Maybe there had been somebody else before... Hadn't he heard about some guy in a project with Rory a few months before?  
  
Why did he care anyway? What did it matter if Dean was being a jerk now or that there had been past stuff in the mix? He was being a jerk and nothing could justify the absolute moron behavior. Didn't he realize that he could lose her by acting like that? What was wrong with him?  
  
But then again, Jess didn't want strictly friendship with Rory anyway. He'd never really hidden the fact that he was interested in Rory. He smiled again.  
  
Suddenly, Jess could hear the snap of twigs from the path only a few yards away. He looked up and saw Rory stomping along path and grumbling to herself.  
  
She was wearing a pair of jeans and a "Bangles" T-shirt and looked tired and cranky. But it was still Rory and Jess' smile widened at the thought that she had come there. Where he had brought her.  
  
"Don't you look cheerful this morning!" said Jess brightly.  
  
  
A/N: Uh, I know this is a crap place to end, but it switches it Rory's POV again, so new chapter up sometime soon! * crosses fingers * Maybe later this weekend... No promises. ;) 


	5. Good Old Fashioned Conversation

Just Another Day  
Part 5: Good Old Fashioned Conversation  
  
Spoilers: Not really. (Unless you haven't seen "A Tisket, A Tasket" yet. And if that's the case, well, what's wrong with you? ;) )  
Pairing(s): R/J and a little L/L  
Belongs... not to me. Just a humble fan writing a little extension to the genius of Amy Sherman-Palladino and friends... Don't sue me! Please!  
A/N: Ok, this is basically a chapter from Rory's POV. Very little Joryness, but that will get a little better later on. And I'm sorry to the Java Junkies for depriving you of any L/L. Next chapter, I promise! And if you're one of those people who are super crazy about grammar, I'm sorry. I've tried my best! Anywho, enough talking from me and please don't forget to R&R! Thanks!  
All criticism is welcome! izzyandfelix@hotmail.com  
  
  
  
Rory jumped at the sound of Jess' voice. Horrified, she could see him only a few feet away, smirking at her. She hadn't even noticed him sitting there. I need some more coffee, she thought.  
  
"Jess. Hi. I-uh-I was-" she paused. I don't need to justify being here. "What are you doing here?" she blurted out.   
  
"I'm having a lively debate about the pros and cons of socialism with the frogs."  
  
"Ah. I'm sorry to interrupt."  
  
"No problem."  
  
For a few minutes Rory just stood awkwardly and stared at the planks of wood at her feet.  
  
"So why are you here, Rory?" asked Jess out of the silence.  
  
"I had to get out of the house, you know? Hasn't really been the greatest morning so far." She shrugged. But somehow, she felt better already after only a couple minutes of being with Jess.  
  
"That still doesn't tell me why you're here."  
  
"Well, you-uh-brought me here before, and it's a nice place, with nice trees and stuff. Good memories. And my mom won't find me here to drive me crazy," she added quickly. Jess had lifted his eyebrows when she had said "good memories," and it had set her off a little. She hated it when he did that. It was as if he was questioning everything she said. And that twinkle in his eyes that betrayed how funny he thought everything was. Well, she liked that. But that only happened once in while.  
  
"I see." Jess looked down.  
  
Another few moments passed by and all Rory could think about was how her feel were starting to hurt. She started to squirm on the spot, hopping from one foot to another.  
  
"Will you please stop doing whatever dance you're doing and sit down? Other wise, splash." Jess looked at the water mischievously.   
  
"Thanks," said Rory gratefully.  
  
"So why has your morning been so terrible? It had to be pretty bad if you're avoiding your mom."  
  
Rory quickly told Jess what had happened that morning, and a couple times, she could catch a few glimmers of amusement  
  
"I think I'd give up just about anything to have that twenty minutes erased from history. The next few weeks are going to be awful. My mother won't let it go until she is completely sick of it. And it usually takes a really long time for her to get sick of anything. For the past three months she's been cracking jokes about Luke and his former Trekkie days. She needs something new and unfortunately, that's me."  
  
"Right. So you're not really mad at your mom?"  
  
"Of course not."  
  
"Ah."  
  
"So, what are you doing here? I mean, I'm sure the socialism discussion was very interesting, but it couldn't have been too enthralling if I'm still here."  
  
"For some reason or another, Luke was sick of me and kicked me out of the diner."  
  
"Because no one ever gets sick of you."  
  
"I don't know why, but I'm not allowed back for-" he looked at his watch. "-Another two hours and fifteen minutes. I didn't have any place better to go."  
  
"Library?"  
  
"Not open yet."  
  
"True. Doose's market?"  
  
"Too easy."  
  
"Huh. Patty's?"  
  
"Too much goggling for eight o'clock in the morning."  
  
Rory laughed. "I guess you're right. There's not really a whole bunch of places to go on a Sunday morning in Stars Hollow. But there had to be some reason for Luke to kick you out of the diner. He usually reserves that for Taylor, Kirk and my mom. You must have done something really special."  
  
"I may have made some references to Luke being slightly closeted."  
  
Rory's eyes widened in disbelief and her jaw dropped. "You didn't!"  
  
"I might have."  
  
"How bold. What colour did he turn?"  
  
"Something between purple and green."  
  
"Well, it was some of my better work." Jess smiled.  
  
"That's nice."  
  
"Harassing Luke?"  
  
"No. When you smile. Usually you just smirk. Smiling is nice for a change."  
  
"Have you ever heard of the 'Matt Good Band?'"  
  
"Why do you always change the conversation?"  
  
"They're Canadian. Pretty good stuff."  
  
"I have to say you're pretty good at it."  
  
"Matt Good, the lead singer, he's started a dozen different verbal wars with fellow Canadian bands."  
  
"Sharp, to the point. Yup. You've got it down to a fine art."  
  
"Our Lady Peace, Robin Black. The list goes on."  
  
"Ok. New topic please."  
  
"I think that they broke up again. Matt Good is a real ass."  
  
"How are you doing with 'The Fountainhead?'"  
  
"I decided to take a few days vacation from it."  
  
"And the vacation reading is...?"  
  
"A little Sir Arthur Conan Doyle."  
  
"Bahamas vacation."  
  
"Sherlock did have some really great deduction skills."  
  
"You do realize he wasn't an actual person, right?"  
  
"He was based on a real person, you know. A teacher of his, I think."  
  
"Dr. Joseph Bell. And that's not the point."  
  
"I'm hanging the subject again."  
  
"You have to keep trying with 'The Fountainhead' or you'll never get through it."  
  
Jess looked at his watch again. "Two hours." 


	6. Hat Hair

Just Another Day  
Part 6- Hat Hair  
  
Spoilers: Not really.  
Belongs... not to me. Just a humble fan writing a little extension to the genius of Amy Sherman-Palladino and friends... Don't sue me! Please!  
A/N: Hello my peeps. Sorry it's taken me so long to continue on, but it's been a hectic little while lately. Anyway, this is more L/L then anything else right now, so you R/J fans will just have to wait until the next part. That should be up in the next couple days at the latest.   
  
  
  
  
"Hey Luke," called Lorelai from the counter.  
  
"Yes, What do you want? But wait a second. Hold that thought for a second." Luke wrote on his order pad again and very quickly put the slip of paper in front of Lorelai. All is said was "NO!"  
  
"That's not fair! You couldn't possibly know what I was going to ask you to do," Lorelai argued.  
  
"Oh, yes I could."  
  
"Nuh-uh!"  
  
"Anything to do with coffee?"  
  
"No, but if you're offering..." Lorelai's face lit up.  
  
"I'm not. A burger in the morning?"  
  
"Ugh! That's gross even to me!"  
  
"I'm surprised. What do you want?"  
  
"Take off the hat."  
  
"I should have known."  
  
"I actually don't think I remember seeing hair for over six months!"  
  
"No way. My hair is perfectly fine under the hat."  
  
"Fine."   
  
Lorelai was silent for a moment. Then, in a second, she had reached across to Luke and had grabbed the hat and put it on her head. Luke grabbed frantically for it but missed and ended up clapping his hands onto his head.  
  
"That wasn't nice, you know."  
  
"Of course it wasn't nice, but at least I got a glimpse of your head. I didn't see any aliens popping out of the top, so all's well with the world."  
  
"Will you please give me back my hat?"  
  
"Nope. It's funny to have you standing there with your hands on your head. Besides, this thing is pretty comfy."  
  
Luke just rolled his eyes and shrugged, which only made Lorelai smile because it was hard to shrug with his hands on his head.   
  
"Luke, how about you take your hands off your head?"  
  
"Never. It would just feed the fire."  
  
"C'mon." Luke tried to shrug again. Realizing that her grin was just getting wider, he gave in. He slowly pulled his hands down.  
  
"There. Are you happy now?"  
  
"Very."  
  
She watched his nervously run his fingers through his hair to try to work out the hat shape. She suddenly had a longing to smooth back a few strands that were in his face. She couldn't stop her hand as it reached across the counter and pushed the stubborn hair away. Luke looked up, surprise on his face. She quickly pulled her hand back and blushed.  
  
"You, uh, should wear your hair down more often I mean, not that your hair is really long or that you should if you don't want to, but, you know, change is good. Good is change. Actually, while talking about the stuff-change, that is-" Lorelai grabbed her purse and started quickly rummaging through it, trying to find her wallet. Finally, she found it and spilled out a handful of coins onto the counter. "Here's coffee money. I, uh-" she quickly looked around the diner and saw Kirk watching the awkward scene. She grabbed his arm and spun around. "Actually, Kirk and I have to go, don't we, Kirk?" She pinched him violently before he could refuse. She smiled briefly and dragged Kirk out of the diner with her.  
  
Luke hadn't moved while any of Lorelai's blabbing and confusion had happened. He had stood there, stunned, the burn of the light touch form her fingertips still on his forehead. He couldn't really grasp anything except that Lorelai had brushed away his hair and that he couldn't breathe.  
  
The diner bell rang and Luke snapped out of his reverie. There was Miss Patty, glittering in green and clearly ready to sniff out a romantic mystery. He suddenly remembered that Lorelai still had his hat.   
  
He we go, he thought as Miss Patty swooped down on him. But she brushed away my hair! He smiled broadly at Miss Patty.  
  
"Good morning, Patty. Would you like a cup of coffee this morning?" 


	7. Silence Can Be Deadly

Just Another Day  
Part 7- Silence Can Be Deadly  
  
Spoilers: A little reference to "The Ins and Out's of Inn's."  
Belongs... not to me. Just a humble fan writing a little extension to the genius of Amy Sherman-Palladino and friends... Don't sue me! Please!  
A/N: Definitely R/J oriented... Ah, I had fun writing this part. Hope you guys like! Please don't forget to R&R!!! Thanks!  
  
  
  
  
At the bridge, two teenagers sat in silence after an hour's debate about suttee and whether or not it should be allowed. Both had argued their sides toughly and had finally decided to call a tentative truce.  
  
Jess was sitting cross-legged, facing Rory. He was playing with a piece of twine he had picked up during their debate and was trying to use it to distract himself from looking at Rory. He tried, but every so often he couldn't help but glance at the far away look in her eyes and the thoughtful expression on her face.  
  
Rory was hugging her knees to her chest. She faced the water, but was looking at the sky. She kept thinking how peaceful and quiet the world seemed right then. With Dean she always had to be clever and talkative. Jess on the other hand, she could be completely silent without being asked why. They both could talk if they wanted to, but have glorious silence too. She remembered she had read once "If you can sit in silence with a person for half an hour and yet be entirely comfortable, you and that person can be friends." And yet, she seemed closer to him than just as a friend. There wasn't a way she could explain it, but there was something that drew her to him. Maybe the way his eyes always glowed with that intensity that he seemed to reserve for only her. Dean' eyes didn't do that. His eyes just seemed to leap and claim her for his own.  
  
She sighed and turned to take a curious look at Jess. At that same moment, he had looked up again to see Rory looking at him. Their eyes met for a long moment which was only broken when Rory turned away. Rory looked at the sky again and Jess played with his string again, but everything else was different for them both.  
  
Rory had a curious feeling that something important had just happened. She could feel Jess' closeness more keenly and had a strong sense of not belonging to herself anymore. The strangest part was perhaps that the thought didn't bother her. An undeniable sense of sweetness had pierced through her when their eyes had met.  
  
Jess knew only one thing. He wanted to kiss Rory. Whatever had passed between them in that moment had only cemented in his mind that Rory and Dean wouldn't last for much longer. That moment had also made him feel rather lost.  
  
Rory knew that Jess wanted to kiss her. She could feel it and could see it when she glimpsed at him again. And she wanted it too, but knew that it couldn't. She looked away and broke the silence.  
  
"What time is it?"  
  
Jess was disappointed that she had broken the moment, but was relieved as well.  
  
"Quarter to eleven. Why?"  
  
"Uh, I was thinking about, you know, going home. And since I've managed to keep you from planning any phony murders, my job is done."  
  
"What makes you think I haven't?"  
  
"I read minds. Secret talent. My mom doesn't even know about it. The crushes I've found out about."  
  
Jess' eyebrows lifted in skepticism, but his eyes twinkled with laughter underneath. Rory couldn't help but notice how green and clear his eyes were.  
  
"I'm going to go."  
  
"Yes, you said that already." A smirk was emerging.  
  
"I did."  
  
"You did."  
  
"Then I'm just going to, uh, go." She scrambled to her feet and Jess followed suit.  
  
"Three times."  
  
"Leaving now. I'll see you later."  
  
"You probably will."  
  
"Bye Jess."  
  
"Bye Rory."  
  
Rory walked down the path in the direction of town. Jess watched her walk away with her hands in her pockets. After a couple of moments of playing with the bracelet again, he slowly followed. 


	8. Confusion

Just Another Day  
Part 8 - Confusion  
  
Spoilers: I think maybe to "Run Away Little Boy."  
Belongs... not to me. Just a humble fan writing a little extension to the genius of Amy Sherman-Palladino and friends... Don't sue me! Please!  
A/N: This part's for the Java Junkies! Unfortunately I can't say it's very good. Kind of cliché. Oh well, I hope you guys like it! Please don't forget to R&R.   
  
Lorelai didn't stop pulling Kirk until they were well past the gazebo. Kirk finally managed to yank his arm from Lorelai's grasp and rubbed the spot where she had held onto.  
  
"What was that about?" Kirk glared at Lorelai.  
  
"Nothing. Did it look like something happened? Because, you know, nothing did happen. Or did something?" Lorelai looked puzzled.  
  
"All I saw was something to do with Luke's hat. You took it, he put his hands on his head and then a couple of minutes later you looked like you have committed some grave sin, Luke looked like a deer in the head-lights, money was flying, I was pulled bodily out of the diner and here I am!"   
  
"Did Luke really look like that?"  
  
"Like what?"  
  
"Like a deer in the headlights?"  
  
"I'm not really sure."  
  
"How could you not be sure?"  
  
"Well, I've never actually seen a deer in the headlights before."  
  
"Ugh, Kirk!"  
  
"I'm just telling the truth, Lorelai."  
  
Lorelai smacked herself in the forehead and started to mumble, "I can't believe I did that!"  
  
Kirk asked what she had done a couple times before he gave up. He was still hungry and still hadn't finished eating or paid his bill yet. He watched Lorelai pace for a few more minutes and shrugged. He asked quietly if he could go and when he didn't get an answer, he slowly backed away and walked as fast as he could back to the diner.  
  
When he entered the diner, Luke was trying to have a normal conversation with Miss Patty. Unfortunately, Kirk hadn't even thought about the missing hat until he had re-arrived. He could tell Patty was drilling away at Luke, trying to find out why his hat was gone. Kirk briefly thought about telling Patty that Lorelai had stolen the hat, but decided against it when he saw his table was undisturbed. He pounced on it, sat down, grabbed the ketchup bottle and dumped some more onto his pancakes.   
  
Luke was struggling to keep Patty out of his hat business. She had asked question after question, but he kept a smile on his face and refused to answer.   
  
Finally, she gave up. Before she left, she issued a warning.  
  
"Fine, Luke, don't tell me. You do know that I will find out sooner than later. It would be considerably easier you to just tell me though. For me-and you." She raised her eyebrows suggestively.  
  
"Have a nice day, Patty." Luke waved and only took a deep breath when the door closed behind her.  
  
Meanwhile, Lorelai had collapsed onto a park bench and was staring at the sidewalk.  
  
Her heart was pounding in her ears and her hands were clammy and shaking. All she could see in her mind's eye was the way she had slowly reached and pushed away the hair. She could still feel it's thick but soft hair underneath her fingertips and the way it had gone to where she had wanted it to go. And she could feel the heartrending look on Luke's face when their eyes had mat. She involuntarily shivered at the thought of the way Luke's eyes had revealed to her many things they never would have revealed had she not dared to reach out.  
  
She breathed heavily and closed her eyes. Why couldn't she get Luke out of her head? She kept seeing that look. It burned and her heart thumped anew when she thought about it.  
  
Suddenly she could hear Sookie's voice in the back of her mind. "Luke is so into you," repeated again and again in her head.  
  
The realization was a bittersweet one. The idea of Luke liking her anymore than just as a friend was unique. She had always push it back whenever she had been presented with the idea. However much she wanted it to go away now though, she knew it wasn't going anywhere. The scariest part of all was that she knew she was falling for Luke-and that she couldn't do a damn thing to stop it.  
  
A/N #2: I forgot to thank you guys for all the reviews! I really appreciate it, so please keep it up! Thanks! 


	9. Girl Gab

Just Another Day  
Part 9 - Girl Gab  
  
Spoilers: Not really. If there are, go ahead and yell at me.  
Belongs... not to me. Just a humble fan writing a little extension to the genius of Amy Sherman-Palladino and friends... Don't sue me! Please!  
A/N: Oh boy, I haven't updated in a while! Sorry about that! I decided that I should actually start doing homework lately, so my fanfic has suffered because of it. This is mostly just Rory/Lorelai interaction. And the person with green eyes is Jess, if you're not sure. I maintain the fact that his eyes are green, NOT brown. Thanks for all the reviews so far, but please don't forget to R&R again! It makes me happy. It makes the whole world happy. So, hit that little, magical, happy button! Thanks!  
  
  
  
  
  
Rory absently walked into town, hands in her pockets. She was watching her shoes and seemed terribly preoccupied with making sure she was walking straight, when in fact she was thinking-or trying not to think about Jess.  
  
She passed the gazebo and glanced at the still form of her mother lying on a bench. She strolled over and sat on her mother's feet.  
  
"Hey! Oh, hi Rory." Lorelai pulled her feet to her chest and sat up. "Where've you been?"  
  
"Out and about. You know, avoiding you."  
  
"Ah. That's hurts Rory. Here." She put a hand to her chest and Rory swatted her knee. "Ok, now it hurts my knee and-" she paused dramatically, "-my heart." The laughter in her eyes was impossible to resist and Rory let the tension of the morning seep out through a few minutes of chuckling.  
  
After a couple of minutes, they were sitting in silence, both thinking about the events that spanned the morning for them both. Finally, Lorelai broke through the awkward quiet.   
  
"So what exactly did you do in the last couple of hours? If you say anything about you and Dean making out though, I might just get very sick. I don't need any tongue-down-throat details. Oh gross! Mental picture. I'm getting nauseated just thinking about it. Rory, please tell me something else."  
  
"I was just out walking and stuff."  
  
"Oh, be vaguer."   
  
"I don't even know what I did, ok? It really didn't matter."  
  
"Ok, so it's a game now." Rory rolled her eyes. "Be careful missy because I could very well poke those pretty eyes out. Now, you didn't say anything about Dean, so I'm guessing you didn't hang out with him this morning."  
  
"Nope."  
  
"How about Lane?"  
  
"It's Sunday, mom."  
  
"I know that. I actually thought you had forgotten."  
  
"Oh boy."  
  
"'It's Friday morning at 7:27' I recall you saying."  
  
"My life is hell," Rory told her thumb.  
  
"You do know what joy you bring to my life, right?"  
  
"Uh huh."  
  
"So unenthusiastic! Ok, back to the person you were hanging out with."  
  
"Right."  
  
"Were you at Miss Patty's? Are you taking lessons on the sly?"  
  
"Twenty questions, here I come."  
  
"No, huh? Kirk's out of the picture because he was at the diner. How about Taylor? I knew you were more attached to Doose's market than you let on."  
  
"Nine and counting."  
  
"Geez, are you still cranky about this morning because you know as well as I do this will be going on for months."  
  
"No. I'm not grumpy about that anymore. It's just other stuff."  
  
"The vague stuff?"  
  
"Yup."  
  
"I see."  
  
They fell into an uncomfortable silence again. However, Rory saw Jess' jacket fly by. He sauntered across the street, dodging a couple of cars as he went and jogged up the few stairs up and into the diner. She flushed a light pink and though an outsider wouldn't have noticed anything, Lorelai did. She didn't say anything-yet. The colour that had rushed to her face had told Lorelai everything she wanted to know.  
  
"Did you have fun at Luke's? How much did you have to heckle him for coffee?"  
  
"Oh yeah. Same old, same old. So what did you and Jess do?"  
  
The colour drained from Rory's face as fast as it had appeared.  
  
"I wasn't with Jess. What would make you think I was with Jess?"  
  
"I don't know. You just turned an attractive shade of purple as he crossed the street though."  
  
"I did not." Rory put her hands to her cheeks.  
  
"Think Barney. Big dinosaur."  
  
"Mom!"  
  
"Ok, I'm exaggerating. So what did you guys do?"  
  
"We didn't do anything. We sat around and talked for a little while."  
  
"Really? What about?"  
  
"Frogs, The Fountainhead and suttee: should it be allowed or not. I have no idea how we got into the last topic though."  
  
"Hmm. That's all you guys did? Sat around and talked?"  
  
"Yup."  
  
"I see."  
  
"You do?"  
  
"I do."  
  
"Good."  
  
"Good."  
  
"How was Luke's?"  
  
"You already asked."  
  
"I did?"  
  
"Yes, you did."  
  
You're being very repetitive today."  
  
"I know. It's fun. Besides, it makes you turn purple again."  
  
"Hey." Rory had looked up and had just taken a good look at Lorelai. "Are you wearing Luke's hat?"  
  
"I, uh-" Lorelai's hands went to her head and took off the baseball cap. "Wow! Would you look at that? I wonder how that got there."  
  
"How did you manage to steal Luke's hat?"  
  
"I didn't steal it. I borrowed it. Anyway, doesn't it look good on me?" On went the hat, backward on the mountain of curls. "Don't I look like Luke? 'Hey Rory, stay away from that coffee. You'll turn into a midget.'" Lorelai's voice had lowered and was gruff.  
  
"You sound more like Dean."  
  
"That bad, huh?"  
  
"Oh yeah."  
  
"Well, how about we head home. I'm just about ready for a nap."  
  
"It's not even twelve yet!"  
  
"But you woke me up this morning, very early I might remind you, and so my day of rest was severely interrupted," she whined.  
  
"You're right. How horrible am I?"  
  
"Very."  
  
Rory took a quick look at the diner and was surprised to see a pair of green eyes staring out through the blinds. They disappeared a second later.   
  
"We should get going," she said abruptly and stood up."  
  
"What's the rush?"  
  
"A catnap suddenly sounds like a great idea."  
  
"Ok..."  
  
"Are you coming with me?"  
  
"Oh yeah. One of the main rules in my life is 'never refuse an offer of sleep from anyone.'"  
  
"I choose not to comment."  
  
"What would there be to comment on?"  
  
"Nothing." Rory grabbed her mother's arm and started to pull her in the general direction of home.  
  
"No, no, no. That was not nothing."  
  
"Yes it was and we're going."  
  
"You're mean."  
  
"I know. I'm good at it."  
  
As the girls passed by the diner, Luke was pouring Taylor a cup of coffee. At Miss Patty's, a group of little girls were dancing in pink and holding dolls. Miss Patty was taking a puff of a cigarette when she saw Rory and Lorelai cross the street. She smiled when she saw Luke's hat on Lorelai's head. Kirk exited the diner licking his fingers and the green eyes peered out again. Lane could be seen sneaking out of the antique store and Dean was heading in the direction of the Gilmore's.  
  
The girls didn't notice any of this going on though. They continued on their way, ignorant of the fact that at that moment the entire town was revolving around them.  
  
-------------------------------  
A/N #2: Don't worry. This isn't the end. I just liked ending it there. R/D should be happening soon. But not necessarily happy R/D stuff... 


	10. It's over...

Just Another Day  
Part 10 - It's over...  
  
Spoilers: If you've never watched the show ever you might be spoiled. ;)  
Belongs... not to me. Just a humble fan writing a little extension to the genius of Amy Sherman-Palladino and friends... Don't sue me! Please!  
A/N: Well, I know this took forever to get written (or at least, it felt that way), but I had such a problem wrapping it up. I didn't know how to end it between R/D without having Lorelai and Rory avoid Doose's market for the rest of eternity. So, this is it! I'm pretty proud of this chapter, so please don't forget to R&R! Thanks!  
  
  
  
  
As soon as Lorelai and Rory entered the house, the messages were checked where there were two from Dean, and Lorelai headed upstairs. Rory made her way to her room and crashed on the bed.  
  
Her bag was lying on the floor. Her uniform was draped halfhazardly over a chair and the bed Rory was lying on was unmade. It looked like a slightly unorganized teenager's room, but if Lorelai had walked in she would have a made a comment about teenage angst and how Rory had just caught a bad case of the stuff.  
  
Sprawled on the bed, Rory was staring at the ceiling. Her eyes roamed the space, looking for something to focus on and after a couple of minutes, she found a small crack. Then she started to think. Within seconds, she had come to a decision.  
  
She and Dean just hadn't been working lately. They bickered and argued and she knew that if she had to say, "Don't be mad" one more time, she'd start crying or screaming or doing something worse. She hated being sorry all the time. She was constantly walking on eggshells with Dean and was sick of it.   
  
She glared at the crack. It was almost symbolic. A little crack like that could and would eventually spread, grow and destroy. Little rumbles would make the crack only wider.  
  
"Stupid crack," she said aloud. "Why do you have to be there?" She felt like it was mocking her, daring her to do something that she might very well regret.   
  
She peeled her eyes from the crack and instead focused on her bookcase, namely the now ragged copy of HOWL. She knew what every margin said, every word that Jess had marked and written. Dean had never written anything in her books.  
  
She turned the other way and could see the same scene that she had woken up to that morning. The sun was still setting everything sparkling. Everything was peaceful. She saw her baby blue car, and her heart jumped to her throat because there was Dean, sitting against one of the wheels. She leapt off the bed and ran for the door. She paused when she passed her mother was sitting at the kitchen table, coffee mug in hand. The look on her face was pained, but understanding and she only shook her head disappointedly when Rory went to say something. When Lorelai looked up again, Rory held her gaze, almost trying to explain but again, Lorelai shook her head.  
  
"Go," she whispered softly. "He deserves to know. He needs to know."   
  
Rory went to go again, but Lorelai stopped Rory once more.   
  
"You really like him, don't you?"  
  
"I do," was the breathless reply.  
  
Lorelai sighed. One more glance at Rory and-  
  
"Good luck."  
  
Rory nodded and in an instant, was out the door.  
  
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -   
  
The door shut firmly behind her and Rory took a deep breath. For some reason, the worst seemed to be over, but the rest of the job had to be carried out. Another deep breath and she was down the stairs.  
  
When Dean saw her walking towards him, he sprung to his feet. A grin spread ear to ear and it was obvious that he had waited to see her. He jogged over to meet halfway but his smile was dampened when he reached her. Rory's fingers were knotted together and the look on her face only spoke of determination. She looked up at him for just a moment before her eyes were pulled down onto the grass at her feet. Dean grasped t her hands and softly kissed the top of her head. Soon she was enveloped into his arms. She was quickly pulling away.  
  
"Dean, don't," was all she said before looking up again. He took a step away, but didn't let go of her hands. A spark of fear and anger flashed through his eyes and his hands gripped tighter.  
  
"What's wrong, Rory?"   
  
"Nothing, Dean." She tried to smile, but the attempt fell flat.  
  
"Something is definitely going on. I can see it on your face."  
  
"We need to talk," she replied lamely.  
  
"Oh no." Dean backed away and finally let go of Rory's hands. 'We are not 'talking.' 'Talking' is never good. I won't talk." He crossed his arms childishly.  
  
"Dean, please don't be-" Rory caught herself. "You have to talk to me. Or at least, I have to talk to you."  
  
"What about?" He turned away and was glaring at the chuppa.  
  
"Us," replied Rory meekly.  
  
"What about 'us'? I thought we were fine."  
  
"Well Dean, we're not fine. We haven't been for awhile." Rory couldn't help but start to get annoyed. He was acting like a little boy.  
  
"Explain it to me. I obviously don't get what's wrong."  
  
"Everything. We argue all the time and you don't trust me."  
  
"I trust you," he murmured. He turned to face her again.  
  
"No you don't. You never have. All last year with Tristin." She managed to bite back a comment about the kiss they had shared. "You don't trust me around Jess at all. We've never done anything! We're just-" She stopped. The 'friends' she had planned to say wouldn't come to her lips. Her mind urged her to say it before it was too late. The thumping of her heart was louder than sense though and silence hung in the air.  
  
After a few minutes of standing and avoiding each other's eyes, Dean's shoulders fell in defeat. The determination he had seen when she had first come outside hadn't really diminished. For a hopeful second he thought he could change her mind, but in his heart, he knew it was too late. A crazed moment of anger and pure destructiveness had gone by too, but he knew it wasn't worth the ramifications. Nothing would change the new look in Rory's eyes anyway.  
  
"You're right," he finally said. "I've never trusted you. If I had, I might not have lost you."  
  
Rory took a brave step forward and put her hand on Dean's arm. She took a long look at him. And softly, very softly, she whispered.  
  
"Yes, you would have lost me."  
  
Dean's eyes blinked in surprise. He took a step back again, but Rory wouldn't let him go away mad not if she could help it. She rushed to pull him into a hug and held him as tight as she could until she felt the response of his arms around her too.  
  
Out of the bushes walked Jess. He had his hands tucked neatly away in his pockets and he ambled onto the Gilmore property only until he noticed Rory and Dean. He stopped mid-step and tiptoed towards the jeep. He ducked behind it to watch.  
  
His eyes were only pulled away from the scene when he saw something moving in one of the living room windows. Lorelai's face peeked out between the curtains and telltale tears had moistened her face. Without looking back at Rory and Dean who were just pulling away from each other, Jess could feel heartbreak in the air.  
  
He watched Lorelai turn back into the house when Dean kissed Rory for the last time. Then Dean left, leaving Rory standing in the middle of the yard, arms hanging limply at her sides. Tears were in her eyes, but the freedom shone brighter and brighter as Dean walked farther away.  
  
Jess quickly snuck back through the bushes with a frown on his face. She was happy now. She was free from obligation and love. He, on the other hand, was miserable. He had finally seen how beautiful Rory was without the influence of a relationship and he couldn't possibly take that away.  
  
He pulled out the bracelet and looked at it once more. His grasp loosened on it until it slipped through his fingers and fell onto the ground. Then he walked away.  
  
A/N #2: Ok, wow! I just the love the ending of that... Going away now... Don't forget to R&R!!! 


End file.
